India may use 'street furniture' for 5G
By Muntazir Abbas & Mansi Taneja, ET Bureau
Last Updated: Dec 31, 2021, 09:45 AM IST
The government is considering the possibility of using ‘street furniture’ such as electric poles to deploy next generation 5G telecom infrastructure to overcome right-of-way (RoW) challenges, a person aware of the development said.
The move follows a proposal from Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) submitted to the telecom department (DoT) early this month to utilise its state-wide electric poles to deploy 5G equipment.
“The department has formed a committee to review the availability of street furniture, particularly the strength of electricity poles, and air speed so as to see if they are capable of being leveraged for seamless 5G network,” the person told ET Telecom.
The committee convened its first meeting on December 20, and is currently reviewing the quantum of state-owned infrastructure for making it available for 5G small cells deployment.
“The support from state governments is critical, and the department is considering a serious enhancement of RoW policy, otherwise, the spectrum auction and its allocation may not yield desired benefits,” the person said.
With the next generation networks expected to be rolled out next year, the industry would need higher quantum of antennas and small cells that may fall within a range between 100 to 200 metres depending upon the nature of allocated frequency band.
The main issue industry faces with deployment of small cells is on the operational side such as the site acquisition, RoW, rentals, and the energy cost and availability, according to industry body Digital Infrastructure Providers Association (Dipa).
“Initiative from KSEB is also well appreciated,” said Tilak Raj Dua, director-general of Dipa. “They have come forward to share their infrastructure with industry, which is definitely going to help the state of Kerala also in early deployment of 5G using small cells.”
Dipa and telecom industry association Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) have shared various international best practices being adopted for use of street furniture deployment of 5G network with the DoT committee.
“To combat the challenges of laying aerial OFC (optical fibre cable), which serves as the backbone for small cell towers, it is important to enable initiatives for sharing existing infrastructure,” said SP Kochhar, director-general of COAI. “We completely support the idea of deploying 5G small cells on electric poles.”
During the meetings held with KSEB and DoT, the Delhi-based Dipa also sought support from Kerala government for enabling policy provisions for deploying aerial OFC, availability of online portal with mapping of entire KSEB network, and speedy RoW approvals for network installations at minimal costs.
The discussions by the telecom department are not only important, but are timely as well, as the industry and government have already started setting the stage for 5G rollouts in the country, Dua said. It is one of the best cross-sector infrastructure sharing examples and would set a benchmark for other states too, he said.
India may use 'street furniture' for 5G
By Muntazir Abbas & Mansi Taneja, ET Bureau
Last Updated: Dec 31, 2021, 09:45 AM IST
Synopsis
On December 20, 2021, the committee convened its first meeting to see the viability, and is reviewing the quantum of state-owned infrastructure for making it available for 5G small cells deployment.
On December 20, 2021, the committee convened its first meeting to see the viability, and is reviewing the quantum of state-owned infrastructure for making it available for 5G small cells deployment.
The government is considering the possibility of using ‘street furniture’ such as electric poles to deploy next generation 5G telecom infrastructure to overcome right-of-way (RoW) challenges, a person aware of the development said.
The move follows a proposal from Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) submitted to the telecom department (DoT) early this month to utilise its state-wide electric poles to deploy 5G equipment.
“The department has formed a committee to review the availability of street furniture, particularly the strength of electricity poles, and air speed so as to see if they are capable of being leveraged for seamless 5G network,” the person told ET Telecom.
The committee convened its first meeting on December 20, and is currently reviewing the quantum of state-owned infrastructure for making it available for 5G small cells deployment.
“The support from state governments is critical, and the department is considering a serious enhancement of RoW policy, otherwise, the spectrum auction and its allocation may not yield desired benefits,” the person said.
With the next generation networks expected to be rolled out next year, the industry would need higher quantum of antennas and small cells that may fall within a range between 100 to 200 metres depending upon the nature of allocated frequency band.
The main issue industry faces with deployment of small cells is on the operational side such as the site acquisition, RoW, rentals, and the energy cost and availability, according to industry body Digital Infrastructure Providers Association (Dipa).
“Initiative from KSEB is also well appreciated,” said Tilak Raj Dua, director-general of Dipa. “They have come forward to share their infrastructure with industry, which is definitely going to help the state of Kerala also in early deployment of 5G using small cells.”
Dipa and telecom industry association Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) have shared various international best practices being adopted for use of street furniture deployment of 5G network with the DoT committee.
“To combat the challenges of laying aerial OFC (optical fibre cable), which serves as the backbone for small cell towers, it is important to enable initiatives for sharing existing infrastructure,” said SP Kochhar, director-general of COAI. “We completely support the idea of deploying 5G small cells on electric poles.”
During the meetings held with KSEB and DoT, the Delhi-based Dipa also sought support from Kerala government for enabling policy provisions for deploying aerial OFC, availability of online portal with mapping of entire KSEB network, and speedy RoW approvals for network installations at minimal costs.
The discussions by the telecom department are not only important, but are timely as well, as the industry and government have already started setting the stage for 5G rollouts in the country, Dua said. It is one of the best cross-sector infrastructure sharing examples and would set a benchmark for other states too, he said.
India may use 'street furniture' for 5G
